


The Hunt

by DominatorBot



Series: The Love Story [4]
Category: Wander Over Yonder (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:01:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23701987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DominatorBot/pseuds/DominatorBot
Summary: Sylvia, thinking Wander is dead, can't get rid of the sadness she feels.  But Lord Hater comes to her with the information that Wander is alive but also in trouble.  So it's time for the hunt.Meanwhile, while exploring the Galaxy Wander and Dom meet an alien charting planets.  He needs their help and Wander is only too happy to oblige.  Dom, on the other hand, isn't so sure about their new travel companion...
Relationships: Lord Dominator/Wander (Wander Over Yonder)
Series: The Love Story [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1660777
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	The Hunt

# Wander Over Yonder

Sylvia woke up in the same place she had been waking up for the past two weeks. It was her cell on Lord Hater's Skullship. Only this cell didn't have the bars closed over. And it came with a comfortable bed, furniture and a coffee machine. But most important of all, it had a drinks cabinet.

It wasn't always like this though. When she was brought onboard after Dominator's ship blew up she was immediately placed under arrest and thrown in here. Normally she would break out and be hopping planets within minutes but his time had been different.

The sting of betrayal followed by the death of her best friend left her in shock. For days afterwards she just lay there, unable to move. She didn't feel like doing anything. A dark cloud of sadness filled her mind and refused to leave.

As time passed some of the Watchdogs noticed her mood and felt bad for her, so they did little things to try to help. Like adding extra food to her daily rations. Talking about the days they had. Venting about Hater and Peepers. That always got a laugh out of her.

Then one day she come out of the cell and took a walk around the ship. She knew the layout from memory but she didn't try to escape. Instead she would come across some of the Watchdogs that had been friendly to her and have a nice chat with them.

It didn't take long for one of them to suggest a game night. Watchdog Gary had set up an evening with other Watchdogs to play some cards, and they invited Sylvia. At first she refused, not wanting to impose but they had insisted. They wanted her to be there.

She was glad she went in the end. It turned out to be a lot of fun.

At first she felt uneasy being around people she had beaten up many times before. But they were very kind to her. She didn't know why they were being so nice but she was thankful for it. The regular game nights helped improve her mood, most of the time.

After about ten days the guards at her cell stopped watching over her and left the bars open. They still came around from time to time to check in on her. She appreciated the effort but there were times she wished she was alone.

Some days she would walk around the ship, unable to say or do anything, avoiding contact with any body. Some of the Watchdogs would try to talk to her but when she wouldn't respond they would leave her he be. They had been around her long enough to know to leave her alone at certain times.

And then there was Lord Hater. Sylvia had only seen him once while she had been on the ship. It was on her first day there after the destruction of Dominator's ship. Lord Hater had ordered the crew to fly as fast as they could away from the coming explosion. When they entered warp Sylvia had screamed Wander's name before falling to the floor. She didn't blame Hater for the choice he made but a part of her wish he had left her behind so she could have been with Wander during his last few moments.

Hater had dusted himself down, whispered something to Peepers and that was the last time she had seen him. Until now.

It was one of the bad days when she saw him walking down the hallway towards her. Not wanting to talk to him she kept her head low and pretended to act like he wasn't there.

“Sylvia.”

“Hater.”

She stopped walking. Hopefully Hater will take the hint and walk on.

“So... how are you?”

Sylvia was quiet, this sounded like classic Hater. She expected him to do something like this. To mock her pain.

“Fine.” She lied.

Hater twiddled his thumbs. Was he nervous? “I've got some good news.”

“Oh, really?” Here it comes.

“I do. Follow me.” He sounded excited and a little bit cautious.

Sylvia reluctantly did as he asked and kept behind the skeleton man as he led her to a conference room. There was a large screen at the back and it was switched on. The image was of a place she was unfamiliar with, but it looked romantic. She shivered. Was Hater really doing this?

“Watch this.” He pressed play on the remote he picked up from the table.

The footage played, showing a pleasant evening at a fancy restaurant. Nothing seemed unusual to her. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to see. And then she saw it. Wander was holding hands with Dominator and they were heading towards the restaurant.

“He's alive?” Her eyes lit up.

“That's not all. Nothing really happens for a while.” He fast-forwarded the footage until a fleet of ships arrived and a bunch of angry aliens marched up to the restaurant. Sylvia watched as the madness unfolded. She watched as Wander got shot and Dominator lost it. She watched as Wander lay on the ground while Dominator unleashed her powers on the mob. _I would have done the same_ , she thought.

Sylvia felts tears forming. She had spent so long thinking he was dead only to see him get shot in a pre-recorded video. And then something else happened. A three-eyed, purple alien stepped into frame, talked with Wander briefly then carried him away.

He was still alive!

“I have to go save him!”

“I had Peepers do some research. That alien is named Daamar. He was recruited by Sourdough after his world was destroyed by Dominator.”

“So let's go to Sourdough and get him back.”

“Well, that's the reason why I brought you here.”

Sylvia raised and eyebrow.

“We should be there in the next few minutes.” The overwhelming sense of joy had washed over her like a tidal wave. Without thinking she threw her arms around Hater and hugged him as tightly as she could. Hater didn't fight back.

Realising what she was doing she pulled herself away and lightly coughed into her hand. “Sorry about that.”

Hater straightened down his cloak. And grunted.

“Why are you doing this? I thought you hate Wander. I mean, it's in your name.”

Hater looked down. Whatever his reason was it was difficult for him to explain. “I saw you on the monitors, walking up and down the halls. You looked so upset. I know what that feels like.”

Sylvia didn't know what to say. She had never seen this side of Hater before.

“You reminded me of myself when I was a young skeleton boy. Going through something similar.”

“Hater...”

Realising what he was about to go into he quickly composed himself. “Enough about me. We have a furry freak to save!”

Sylvia smiled, “Thanks, Hater.”

“I think it's time we went on...

## 

THE HUNT

The Skullship dropped out of warp, near Sourdough's flagship. It looked dark and deserted. Sylvia and Hater were on the bridge, waiting as Commander Peepers was sifting through the scanner feedback. “Sir, it looks like there's no one on board. I'm not getting any life signs.”

“Impossible. Check again.”

“I did. The scanner is working perfectly. There's no one alive on that ship.”

Sylvia felt a chill run down her spine. Where they too late?

“Peepers, take us in.”

The Skullship moved in to dock with the empty vessel. “Peepers, you stay here and watch over the Skullship. Sylvia and I will board the flagship and see what we can find.”

“Are you sure you don't want me accompanying you, sir?”

Hater glanced at Sylvia. “No, I think we'll be fine.”

“As you wish, sir.” Peepers saluted.

Sylvia followed Hater to the airlock. Hater was the first to step onto the eerily quiet ship. It didn't take long for them to see what had happened to the crew.

Bodies of Beefeaters lay scattered near the airlock.

“Who is responsible for this?” Hater asked.

“Maybe we should check the bridge. There might be clues there.”

They quickly made their way to the top of the ship, stepping over more Beefeater bodies on their way. When they arrived they were stunned to find a plate of ashes sitting on the Command Chair. Someone had killed Sourdough.

Hater glared at the ashes while Sylvia looked around the cold, dark room. There were more dead Beefeaters. She stepped over one that was lying next to the security terminal. After switching it on she played the last recorded footage of the bridge. And saw Daamar shooting everyone. After they were all dead he went to the communication system, sent a recoded message then left.

“Who the grop is that guy?”

“What did you find?”

“Daamar. He killed everyone.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. And he also sent a voice message. Maybe we can track down where he sent the recording?”

Sylvia hopped over to the station and worked the controls until she found what she was looking for. “Okay, that's weird.”

“Where did he send it?”

“According to this, somewhere deep in the Universe. Very far away from here.”

“That makes no sense.”

“And yet, here it is.”

“It must be some sort of trick, to throw us off.”

“Maybe.” Sylvia did some more checking and went through the security communications. After a few minutes listening to the recordings she turned back to face Hater. “Wander's alive and with Dominator. With help from Emperor Awesome. They escaped the ship just before Daamar did all this.”

“No one has heard from Awesome in a while. Wonder what he's up to? Any idea where Wander and Dominator could have gone?”

“Unfortunately no. Unless...” She went back to the security console and looked up the footage for the docking bay. After rewinding the footage she found what she was looking for. “There! They escaped on that ship!”

“What about Daamar? What did he use to escape?”

Sylvia went through the footage again. “Here he is.”

Hater watched the playback of the two different ships departing at separate times. “It's not much to go on. They're both using fairly generic ships.”

“I know. I think we should bring the footage with us and go through it thoroughly and see if we can find anything that can help.”

Hater nodded. “Do it.”

Sylvia downloaded the files and handed the memory stick to Hater. “It's time we found out just what the flarp is going on.”

* * *

_Wander was running. He wasn't sure what from but he knew it was bad and that it was coming for him. Cold hands touched his back as a faceless creature reached out for him. It's eyes glowed purple. It's voice was bitter. It spoke his name. The sound sent waves of fear through his body._

_The icy hands took hold of his right arm, pulling him backwards. His body twisted around to see the mouth of the creature opening, it's jaws wide, ready to devour him. All he could see were the teeth coming down upon him..._

He woke up sweating. A wind was blowing outside the tent. He took some deep breaths before falling down onto his back. The dream was the same one he had every night for the past week. He could hardly sleep these days.

Dom stirred next to him. “Wander, are you okay?”

“Oh, I'm fine Dom. No need to worry about me. You just go back to sleep.”

Not fully awake Dom slipped back into sleep very easily.

Wander remained awake. The thought of going back to sleep and going through that dream again made him shiver. And it wasn't even the devouring that scared him, nor was it the icy cold touch of the hands grabbing him, but the eyes. The purple eyes that looked at him with such envy and hatred. What was causing him to have this recurring dream?

Fully awake now he got up and left the tent. He didn't like keeping the truth from Dom but he also didn't want her to worry about him. Besides all he was having were bad dreams. It couldn't last forever, could it?

He looked up at the stars. It was a beautiful night.

“You can't fool me Wander.” Dom came out of the tent. She was in pyjamas and holding her arms tight to herself. It may be a beautiful night but it was also a cold one.

“Dom! I didn't mean to wake you.”

“I can tell you're upset. What's wrong?” She placed a hand on the back of his head.

He still didn't want to tell her, but he knew he had to. “I've been having this dream. The same one every night for a week. It scares me.”

Dom stroked his fur. “Dreams can't hurt you, Wander.”

“But this doesn't just feel like a dream. I'm worried something else is going on and I don't know what to do.”

“Whatever it is we'll deal with it together.” She sat down next to him, resting her head on his arm, watching the sun rise.

Wander put his hand on her shoulder. “I'm glad I have you.”

She sensed there was more. “But?”

“But I miss Sylvia.” He laughed a little. “And Lord Hater. Peepers and the Watchdogs. So much has changed.”

The dark, cold night was gone. Replaced with the light and heat from the morning sun. “So why don't you go see them?”

“I don't know. Sylvia was really upset with me.”

Dom looked at her feet. She knew why Sylvia had been upset. There were so many things Dom had done both directly and indirectly that caused so much pain. Sylvia and Wander's friendship was just another casualty.

“You should talk to her though. I don't know what it's like be friends with someone for that long but I know I wouldn't want to lose it.”

Wander hugged her. “You're right. We should go see her.”

“We?”

“You don't want to come?”

“I don't think it would be a good idea.”

“What better way to show Sylvia that you've changed than to show her that you've changed?”

Dom chuckled. “You always make it sound so easy.”

“Why can't it be?”

She had no answer. It's difficult to let go of anger. She understood that all too well. And yet, here she was, sitting down next to Wander and enjoying the sunrise with him. Anything, she supposed, was possible.

“Okay. We'll go see Sylvia.”

“Thanks, Dom. And I know you and Sylvia will get along. You've got more in common than you think.”

She smiled then kissed him on the cheek. “Some breakfast first then we'll be on our way.”

After they ate they took down the campsite, putting all the pieces inside Wander's hat. When the last item was put in Dom thought she heard a distant noise. It was too far away to be certain what it was so she ignored it.

“What was that?” Asked Wander.

“You heard it too?”

They stood in silence, and waited to see if the noise returned. And it did. This time they understood what it was.

“Someone's in trouble.”

Wander wrapped them up in a Bubble and together they moved it toward the person in distress. It wasn't long before they found who they were looking for. The local wildlife had chased someone into a tree. The two angry wolf-like creatures tried climbing their way up the tree but they lacked the ability to accomplish that, so they resigned themselves to sitting and waiting. Eventually their prey would get tired and fall.

Dom wasn't going to let that happen. She guided the Bubble behind the creatures and dropped out of it, extending her lava arms. She reached out and grabbed the tails, singing their fur and lightly burning the skin underneath. The surprise attack followed by the pain in their tails frightened them off. They ran back into the forest.

“You can come down now!” Dom called up.

The person hiding in the tree looked down at her, unsure if it was actually safe. Then Wander walked on over. “I don't think I can climb down.”

“No problem.” Wander created another Bubble and used it reach the stranded person. When he was close enough he reached out and grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into the Bubble. Seconds later and they were back on the ground again.

“Thank you so much for your assistance. I was afraid those things were going to eat me.” With the stranger now standing in front of her Dom could easily see why those wolves chased him. He was shorter than Wander with red fur so fluffy it made him look chubby. He had one large eye that darted between her and Wander. The wolves must have seen him as easy prey.

“They probably would have.”

Wander glanced over at her. And gave her a 'try again' look.

“I mean, you're welcome.” 

“The name's Olin.” He held out a hand, waiting for a handshake.

Wander was the first to accept it. “My name's Wander.”

“Dom.”

“Wander and Dom. Nice to meet you. So what are you fine folks doing on this planet?”

“Just exploring. Dom wanted to see more of the Galaxy. What about you?”

“I chart planets for the Galactic maps. I arrived here yesterday and spent in my ship. An hour ago I got out to explore a little then got attacked by those _things_ and now here I am.”

Dom sighed. “We'll help you back to your ship.”

They agreed to save the Orbble Juice and just walk to the landing site. Olin claimed it wasn't that far away from them.

And he was right. They arrived in under ten minutes.

Dom never saw a ship like it before. It looked big enough to hold four people comfortably but it was the over-sized engine that took her notice. It was unlike anything she had ever seen.

“Interesting ship.”

“Ah, you mean the engine. I do a lot of travelling so I had this one custom made. Do you like it?”

“Not sure yet.”

Olin climbed halfway up the ramp when he stopped. “Uh oh.”

Dom tensed up. “What?”

“When those wolves chased me I dropped my backpack. It had my keys in it.”

“And you only remembered this now?”

“That's horrible! Looks like we'll be helping you some more Olin. Isn't that right Dom?”

“Oh, yeah. Great.” Dom's patience was disappearing by the second. This was turning into a rather tedious morning.

* * *

Daamar was sitting opposite a wall of screens, checking on the progress of the machine. The work force he had hired for the job worked day and night to complete this device on time. Like the other agents he had been given schematics by his boss before he left and was told to put off construction until it was near the time. Daamar reasoned that they were asked to do this to reduce the possibility that they would be discovered. And it worked. Construction was nearly complete and no one in the Galaxy was aware of it.

He decided it was time to send a progress report. He activated the communication console and switched the frequency to the one he wanted.

A pair of glowing purple eyes appeared on the screen in front of him. “Construction is on schedule. Within days the device will be operational.”

“Excellent, Daamar.” The voice was ice cold. “My other agents are also on schedule. Tell me, what is the status of the Star Nomad? The one called Wander.”

“His success rate is incredible. I looked over reports from other agents across the Universe and none of the other Nomads show the same level of success.”

“Interesting. What about Lord Dominator? Has her destruction been halted completely?”

“That's the most fascinating thing. She stopped because of Wander and now the two of them spend their time together.”

“You mean Wander was able to turn someone as ruthless as Dominator?” The eyes narrowed. “Very interesting.”

“Wander has done what he needed to do for your plan. Do you have other plans for him?”

“I think I do. He might prove to be more useful to me than even the feast. There's a chance I might be able to achieve my goal.”

Daamar wasn't told what the end goal was. None of the agents were. They were chosen specifically because they didn't ask questions while also being completely loyal to their leader.

“And what of the state of the Galaxy? After Dominator's ruthless campaign I was concerned that their wouldn't be enough life for my plan to work.”

“There are more than enough denizens who have been in contact with Wander. Your plan should work uninterrupted.”

“Good. Now. tell me everything you can about Wander and Lord Dominator.”

* * *

Commander Peepers had tracked down both ships. The one that Wander and Dominator escaped with wound up nearby and left abandoned. A local said they refilled their Orbble Juice container and departed with no mention of where they were going. A dead end. But the other ship, the one flown by Daamar had a longer trail to follow.

His first stop had been to a construction company where he hired hundreds of people for a project that required secrecy. Then he was spotted acquiring a bunch of materials for the construction site which wasn't unusual but what had been unusual was his third stop. He went into a store that sold rare jewels and crystals and bought six Shimerian Crystals. Why spend money on something that's just pretty to look at when he's already paying a fortune for the construction work? It was a mystery Peepers wanted to solve.

He explained his findings to Sylvia and Lord Hater in the conference room.

“Boring! When do we find this guy so I can rough him up?”

Peepers was dumbfounded. “Boring? Aren't you worried he might be up to something nefarious?”

“Please, it can't be any worse than what Dominator was doing.”

Sylvia nodded her agreement then said, “I still don't like this though. He captured Wander for Sourdough then killed that Evil Sandwich. None of this makes sense.”

“I agree with Sylvia, sir. Whatever Daamar is up to we need to figure it out.”

“But why? I thought we were looking for Wander?” Hater folded his arms.

Sylvia sighed. Finding Wander was important to her but if someone was out there hurting people and building something terrible then she felt that she had an obligation to put an end to it.

“I'm glad you want to help Hater, but I think whatever Daamar is up to is more important. Nothing would please me more than to drop everything and find Wander but I'd never be able to live with myself if another person died and I could have done something about it. And besides he's with Dominator and she's the toughest gal I know.”

Hater rolled his eyes. “Fine, but we don't even know where he is! How do you plan to find him?”

“I may have a solution to that, sir.” Peepers brought up a hologram of the planet where Daamar bought the construction materials. “We know where he has bought the materials but we don't know where they're going.”

“Yeah, so?” Hater was lost.

“If we sneak our way into the shipment area I can find out which one is Daamar's then stealthily make our way to the correct container, wait for departure and arrive at his construction site.”

Sylvia lit up. “Then we'll see what he's up to! Nice work, Peepers.”

“Sounds like a plan. Peepers, take us towards that planet!”

“Yes, sir.” Peepers ran off towards the bridge.

“Hater, I really appreciate you doing this. But I have to admit, I'm a little surprised. Okay, a lot surprised.”

He turned away from her. “I don't know if I can explain it.”

“I understand.”

He took a deep breath. “When Dominator's ship was blowing up did you notice what I did?”

“No, what?”

“I saved you.”

Sylvia was going to ask him what he meant but thinking back about what happened she knew he was right. While the destruction was ripping the lava ship apart Hater made his escape but instead of leaving her behind he grabbed a hold of her and brought her with him. At the time Sylvia was so focused on Wander she didn't notice what was happening. She failed to see what Hater had done.

He _did_ save her.

“Hater, I never thanked you for that. I'm so sorry.”

“I don't know why I did it. It all happened so fast.”

“Maybe you're not as bad as you think you are?”

Sylvia didn't want to point out that Hater was crying. Instead she wrapped her arms around him and said, “Thank you.”

“No one has ever thanked me for saving their life before.”

“Well there's a first time for everything.”

When she let go of him Hater wiped away the tears with both hands.

“I'll see you on the bridge.” Sylvia patted him on the shoulder before leaving the room. This was undoubtedly the strangest time of her life. Making friends with Watchdogs. Living on the Skullship. And, strangest of all, hugging and thanking Lord Hater. Sylvia had always thought that Wander's quest to befriend Hater was always doomed to fail. Now it was starting to look like _she_ was the one who was going to befriend Hater.

On the bridge Peepers was standing by, waiting for Hater to give the order to start the mission. “Where's Lord Hater?”

“He'll come around in a minute.”

The doors behind Sylvia slid open and Lord Hater made his entrance. “Peepers! Take us in.”

“Right away, sir.”

The Skullship arrived at the planet.

“Peepers, you and Sylvia will head down there and hide inside the material container. Take a tracker with you. I'll have your signal monitored up here. When you arrive at the secret location, radio in and detail everything you see.”

“Sir, that's actually a good plan.” Peepers was quite proud.

He nodded. “Now, let's find out what this loser is planning.”

Peepers and Sylvia saluted before leaving the bridge.

“Where's this energy coming from? Hater's never shown interest in proper command before.”

Sylvia smiled to herself. “It's a mystery.”

“Whatever the reason, I'm glad he's taking this seriously.”

“Why's that?”

“Because I have a feeling that things are only going to get worse.”

* * *

Wander walked alongside Olin while Dom kept a few feet in front, tracking the wolf prints. At this distance she wasn't a part of the conversation but she could hear every word.

“How many planets have you charted? You must see some amazing things.”

“Too many to remember sadly. The Galaxy is so full of worlds and life that it's difficult to keep track of it all.”

“I hear ya. Everywhere we go there's always something new to see. It could be as simple as a new colour of grass or as grand as a cosmic migration. There's so many wonderful things to see and I want to see them all!”

“You're quite an enthusiastic person, aren't you?”

Dom nodded to herself.

“What's not to be enthusiastic about? Life is filled with many wonderful things, it would be a shame not to acknowledge that.”

“Indeed. But what else do you do besides explore?”

“We help people.”

“Ah, like you helped me with those wolves.”

“Exactly.”

“I wish there were more folks like you in the Galaxy.”

“Thank you Olin.”

“But what's the story with your friend here? She doesn't look like she enjoys helping as much as you do.”

Dom grimaced. She had hoped their new companion wouldn't ask about her. She didn't like going over her past but Wander had convinced her that the best way to overcome it was to accept it and to own up to it. “I used to be Lord Dominator.”

“I'm sorry, what? That can't be true.”

“It is. I did terrible things that I'm trying to atone for.” She turned her head to look at Olin. “And if I've hurt you in any way, I am sorry.”

Olin was speechless. “But how? You were the scourge of the Galaxy!” He looked at Wander. “Ah, I see.”

Wander saw that Dom was getting uncomfortable. “It's a bit of a long story. But the short answer is that we found each other.”

“I realised that I had fallen in love. And that he loved me back. He helped me become a better person.”

“And that worked?”

Wander shrugged. “There was a bit more to it than that but basically, yes.”

“Wander, that is incredible. I've never heard of any one being able to do something like that.”

“What are you talking about? He does it all the time.”

“You do?”

“I wouldn't say 'all the time' but yeah, I try to help the Bad Guys of this Galaxy see what they're missing by being Evil. It takes a while but I usually get through to them given enough time.”

“This is remarkable. You truly are one-of-a-kind.”

Wander blushed. “Okay, you know all about me, what about you, Olin? What's your life outside of charting planets?”

“There isn't much to tell I'm afraid. I'm quite a boring person.”

“C'mon, there must be something.”

Olin seemed to consider what he should say. “Well I used to be like you, Wander. I used to try to help folks. But my kindness was used against me. I got hurt and gave up trying to help others.”

“But you chart all these worlds for people to explore. Sounds to me like you still help others, just in a different way.”

“Huh, I suppose you're right. Wow, you really are good at this.”

Wander smiled.

“But I'd like to know, do you feel like your good deeds have a positive effect on the Galaxy?”

“I like to think they do. I just want to help folks and, in turn, hope they will help others. I like to call it contagious positivity. For every person we help they then help two more, then those two help another two each and so on.”

“Contagious positivity. Wouldn't that be something?”

Dom pointed straight ahead. “There's a cave over there. The wolves might be inside. I'm going to check it out. You two wait here. Things might get dangerous so be careful.”

“You got it, Dom.” Wander took Olin behind a nearby tree.

“She's some woman.”

“Yeah.” Wander said dreamily.

“How does she do that thing with her hands?”

“Good question. Before, she could only do that with her suit on.”

“You mean those powers of hers are a part of her now?”

“Seems that way.”

Olin rubbed his chin. “I think I've seen enough.”

“What's that?”

“Wander, you're coming with me.” His voice changed. It sounded very different to what he sounded like before, but also familiar.

“Um, where are we going? What about Dom?”

Olin began to change. He grew taller, his red fur disappeared showing his skin. Skin that became scales. His head had stretched forward with a mouth filled with sharp teeth and a fork tongue. What once was a two foot tall furry person was now a seven foot tall reptile. He picked Wander up with his scaly, clawed hand. “You are going to help me.” Wander tried to pull himself away, struggling as hard as he could against the iron-like grip. When that failed he looked up at the creature and saw those same purple eyes that haunted his dreams.

“Oh no.”

* * *

Sylvia waited outside the main office building, keeping an eye out for anyone coming her way. Peepers had gone inside to find out which shipment was the one they needed to stow away in. Sylvia wasn't too experienced in espionage but she trusted Peepers to get the job done. He was smarter than he looked.

The door behind her opened.

“I've read the manifest. Daamar used his name to purchase a regular shipment of materials to be sent out every couple of days.”

“Okay but which freight are they on?”

Peepers pulled out a notepad he had used to write down the information. “Cargo number 18797. It's being transported by that ship over there.” He pointed at a massive hauler lined up in a row with three others.

“Good job, Peeps.”

“We better board that ship right away. I think it's due to leave soon.”

“Okay, let's go.”

They rushed towards the ship only to see a pair of guards blocking the ramp to the cargo area. Sylvia hushed at Peepers to stay down then casually strolled over to the guards. “Can you help me? I'm so lost.” She asked as she approached them.

“Excuse me but you shouldn't be here. This is a restricted area.”

“Is it? First I've heard of it.”

The two guards looked at each other. Sylvia used that to her advantage and smashed their heads together. Knocking them both unconscious. Peepers rejoined her. “We better hide these two before someone notices them.”

Sylvia nodded and carried them to a secluded location, tying them to a lamppost and smashing their radios. “Hopefully no one will find them by the time we reach our destination.”

With their tracks covered the two infiltrators boarded the cargo ship and found the container they were looking for. Sylvia broke the lock and pulled the doors open letting Peepers in first before closing it behind her but not shutting it. They needed air after all.

“I'll activate the tracker. Hopefully this won't be a long trip.”

Unfortunately it was.

They sat in silence for some time before Sylvia broke it by asking, “Hater seems a bit different these days. Have you noticed?”

“I have, and it worries me. I can't remember the last time he tried to conquer a planet. I don't know what's going on with him but I hope this thing with Daamar will help get him back to normal.”

“Is that why you're here? For his sake?”

“Of course. That and I do actually think that Daamar is up to no good.”

Sylvia studied him. “You're not just trying to keep him away from Wander, are you?”

“Look, Wander's a bad influence on him. He's slowly draining the evil out of him and I won't stand by and let him do that.”

“Not to rain on your parade, but I don't think Wander is the one you need to worry about.”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.”

Peepers squinted at her. She had given something away but he wasn't sure what. He was going to have to keep his eye on her.

More hours passed before they finally arrived at their destination. They slipped out of the container, closed the doors and sneaked their way off the ship and into the construction site. There were dozens of crates scattered about the place, so they used one as a cover. Peepers took a peak over the top of the crate.

“What do you see? Is it bad?”

“I don't know. It doesn't look like anything I've seen before.”

“Let me see.” She pulled him down then took her own look. It was a ring. A ring so big that she had to move her head left and right to get the full scale of it. “What the flarp is that?”

“The tracker is still sending a signal. Lord Hater should be nearby.”

“Uh, Peepers, that ring is not all there is to worry about.”

“Hm?” He saw what Sylvia was talking about. Daamar was obviously worried about people finding out about his project because it looked like he hired hundreds of mercenaries to patrol the construction site. “Oh, that's not good.”

“We need to get out of here and warn Hater about what he's flying in to.”

They backed away from the crate, ready to make their escape when a group of four mercenaries stepped up behind them. “What's this? A couple of spies? Boss won't be happy that you're here. Take them to Daamar.”

Rough hands took a hold of Sylvia and Peepers and handcuffed them.

“You weren't kidding about things getting worse.”

He groaned.

* * *

Lord Hater was on his throne, trying to enjoy his favourite tunes. Peepers and Sylvia had fallen out of contact when they arrived at the cargo port but the tracker they had still worked. The Skullship followed the trail but, typically, it was taking longer than Hater wanted. So he had told the Watchdogs to keep up with the signal and to inform him when it stops completely.

Hater was starting to get really angry. “What's taking so long? Are they taking the scenic route?”

Some time passed and the anger slowly turned into concern. Had something happened to them? They have been quiet for so long.

Hater couldn't sit on his throne any more. He paced around the room, waiting for any news to reach him.

Watchdog Hank came into the throne room. “Sir, the signal has stopped moving. We have their location.”

“Finally! Have they told you what they found?”

“No, sir. No communication came through.”

“We'll have to go in blind. Take the Skullship to their position.”

“Yes, sir!”

Watchdog Hank left Hater alone once more.

Was he making the right decision? What if something bad happened to them and he's running straight into a trap? Hater didn't care. The closest things he had to friends were in trouble and he was going to save them.

His chest suddenly hurt.

* * *

Wander tried to call out to Dom but Olin used his other hand to cover it. “She won't be able to save you. By the time she realizes she's been tricked we'll be far away.”

He screamed as loud as he could, but Olin's hand had muffled the sound so much it barely sounded like anything. “Time for us to go.”

“I don't think so.” A red, glowing hand stretched out towards Olin and wrapped around him. Dom pulled him back towards her, taking him off balance and forcing him to fall to the ground. Wander dropped next to Olin and managed to scramble away.

“Wander, get out of here!” Dom yelled at him while putting her other hand around Olin's head. She held on tight with both hands and burned his scales.

Olin roared, it had been some time since he had felt physical pain. He was caught off-guard. Dom was supposed to be wandering inside an empty cave while he took Wander away. She must have sensed something was wrong.

“I've been a Bad Guy most of my live. I know one when I see one.” She tightened her grip and intensified the heat.

But Olin was ready for her now. He sprinted forward, running straight into her. They tumbled to the grassy ground and rolled over several times before stopping. Olin was on his feet in a second while Dom took a little longer. Too long. She was pinned back to the ground with Olin on top of her. “I can see why this Galaxy nearly fell to you. But you nearly ruined my plans.”

Dom kicked him on the backside with her knees forcing him off of her. “Whatever plans you have, they end here.”

“I don't think so.” His eyes glowed. Dom felt her body stop, like she became a statue. The lava on her hands disappeared. Her vision was turning dark. She felt like she couldn't breath. The ground disappeared beneath her feet as she was lifted into the air. Then Olin slammed her back down with enough force to knock her out.

With the dangerous one neutralised Olin steadied himself and listened for Wander's footsteps. He didn't get far. Olin rushed past the trees that Wander had passed, covering ground three times as fast.

Wander was panicking. His mind was racing. _Dreams can't hurt you._ That's what she said. And yet, his dream was fighting her right now. Wander felt bad that he had left her behind but he trusted her to take care of herself. Dom was the most formidable person he ever met. If anyone could fight off a living nightmare, it was her.

He took a second to glance behind, to see if Dom was coming for him. Nothing. Then he hit something. At first he thought it was a tree. But his heart sank when he saw what it actually was. Olin placed a foot next to him. “Now, where were we?”

* * *

Daamar was sifting through the end-of-day reports from the construction foreman. The ring was nearly complete. The newest shipment had brought in the last part that he needed. Everything else was in place. The Shimerian Crystals were installed and ready to go. He didn't know the exact time the ring will activate but it surely wouldn't be long now.

“Daamar, we found these two skulking near some crates. They must be spies.”

He stared at the prisoners with calculating eyes. “Commander Peepers and Sylvia the Zbornak.”

“You know who we are?” Asked Sylvia.

“I've done my research. When I arrived in this Galaxy I had to make sure I knew all the key players. The ones most likely to mess everything up.”

“Mess what up? What are you doing exactly?” Asked Peepers.

“You will find out soon enough.”

“You aren't going to kill us?” Sylvia asked.

“No, not when you are still needed.”

“Let us go!”

“It would be best if you just accept your fates like I have. Soon the ring will activate and all that you know and love will be gone.”

Sylvia was getting angry. “Not while I have anything to say about it.” She broke free of her cuffs and slammed a fist into the face of the mercenary behind her. Then slugged the one holding Peepers before snapping his cuffs in two.

Daamar barely had time to react when Sylvia jumped on top of him, knocking him to the floor and standing on his chest.

“Your fight is pointless. You can't stop what's coming.”

“We'll see about that.” Peepers said as he went over to the control consoles. He tried to work out what he needed to do to shut everything down but there didn't seem to be any way to do that.

“The ring doesn't activate from here.” Daamar said.

“Then we'll just blow it up.”

As if hearing his words the Skullship warped in next to the massive ring, with rockets and lasers ready to shoot the place up. Lord Hater's voice boomed. “Peepers! Sylvia! Where are you?”

Peepers used the Command Centre's communication system to answer back. “We're fine, sir. But I don't have time to explain. Just do as much damage to the ring as possible.”

“I would Peepers but I have my hands full at the moment.” Peepers forgot about the rest of the mercenaries patrolling the site.

Then the ring started to spin.

Sylvia tied up Daamar before heading outside with Peepers and watching as the ring spun faster and faster. The Skullship was trying its best to fight off the mercenaries but there were too many to deal with. Hater's ship was taking a beating.

The six Shimerian Crystals began to glow. The ring was spinning so fast now that it looked like it was one big circular light. The light brightened. It got so bright no one could look at it. There was a flash, followed by a stunned silence.

Then the screaming started.

* * *

There was darkness. Nothing existed beyond the blackness. Dom called out for Wander but there was no reply. She began to run, hoping that the darkness will end if she ran far enough. But it was useless. She felt like she didn't even move.

“Dom.”

“Wander! Where are you?”

“Something bad has happened. I need your help.”

“What is it? Tell me!”

Her eyes opened and she was back on the grass. Her head hurt and her body ached but she was alive.

Olin was gone, along with Wander. She got up to her feet and looked up at the sky. Wander needed her help. But there was one problem. How was she going to get off this planet?

* * *

Sylvia woke up. She looked around and saw Peepers lying next to her. She nudged him awake. “What just happened?”

Peepers shook his eyeball. “I don't know. But did you hear something after the flash? I could have sworn I heard...”

“Wander? Yeah, I heard him to. And he needs our help.”

“But how? What does it mean?”

Sylvia had no answers but she was curious what Daamar had to say. He was sitting where she had left him, his head hung low like he was sleeping. Sylvia raised his head, then quickly dropped it.

“What is it?”

“He's dead. No, wait I can see him breathing. But he looks so lifeless.”

“Wait, do you hear that?”

Sylvia listened. It sounded like screaming. They both went outside to see what was going on and immediately regretted it.

What they saw looked like ghostly images of the people who lived in this Galaxy being drawn in by the spinning ring. Their eyes wide and mouths open. Their screams combined into a horrible wailing shriek.

Sylvia was too shocked to saw anything.

* * *

Wander felt it. An incalculable number of lives were ripped from their bodies and had been sent across the Universe. He could sense that they were being pulled towards a place deep within the Universe.

Olin had taken Wander to his ship then launched into orbit where Wander got a better view of the ghostly images.

The engine activated and the noise grew so loud it almost deafened him. He had to cover his ears. This was no ordinary engine.

In the blink of an eye they were gone. Far away from the Galaxy they were in only seconds ago. When the ship came to a stop Wander dropped his hands from his ears and sat silently as he saw a terrible sight. Looking through the window Wander saw a diamond shaped space station and all around it were massive rings. At least a thousand of them. And through those rings came souls from all across the Universe.

As the souls poured out from the rings they were then pulled towards the diamond station and entered through the top point.

“Where are we? What have you done?”

“Don't worry, little Wander. You will have your answers soon enough. I want you to understand why you're here and why you will agree to help me.”

“I don't think I want to help you.”

Olin looked at him with an evil smile. “But you will. I know you will.”

Wander closed his eyes as the scream from the souls rang through his ears. What was he supposed to do now?

_To be Continued..._


End file.
